China detains 3 Sri Lankan, 3 Bangladeshi illegal immigrants entering by boat from Macau

BEIJING: Chinese border guards detained three Sri Lankans and three Bangladeshis suspected of illegally entering the country by boat from the gambling enclave of Macau, the official Xinhua News Agency said Sunday.

One Chinese citizen was also detained on suspicion of piloting the small boat that brought the group across the narrow waterway separating the Chinese mainland from the special administrative region just before midnight on Thursday, Xinhua said.

Long a source of contraband labor, China has become an attractive target for illegal immigrants hoping to find work in the booming economy.

The six had allegedly been brought to Macau by a smuggling ring with the promise of decent jobs, even though the Chinese-governed territory has seen protests among its native Chinese population over rising unemployment.

Unable to find jobs and living on the street, they each paid a middleman 200 yuan (US$29) for passage to the mainland where they hoped to find work as laborers, the report said.
China was for years a key source of illegal workers smuggled by ship, plane or overland routes to labor markets in the United States, Japan and Europe. While such practices continue, fast economic growth and rising wealth have made China an attractive destination for people in poorer, politically unstable parts of Asia.